If it is Labor Day weekend and if you’re a bike racer in New Mexico it must be Record Challenge, since 1985 anyway. Those of you in Arizona who have raced this event understand a bit of its cult status. This race was first promoted by Paula Higgins and Jerry Kituttu (85-94) until another NM bike racing pillar, Bill McLain, picked up the job. Bill had asked Jerry and Paula to run Record Challenge this year before he lost a long battle with melanoma in May. After Paula died in July, Jerry decided he was not up to the task.

On Sunday October 22, 2006, South Mountain is holding its first ever Silent Sunday, where personal vehicles will not be allowed on the road past the Activity Complex. This will give the wildlife a break from the fumes and traffic and will give people the chance to enjoy the preserve without the noise or traffic from the road. There will be vendors and informational booths along with Ranger led hikes and interpretive programs offered throughout the day. I am writing to invite your club to this event which will be taking place all day. Please let me know if you would like to attend this event. Parking will be available at the Activity Complex. If you have any questions or comments you can feel free to e-mail or call me at the phone number listed below.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Motorists give greater leeway to cyclists who do not wear safety helmets, according to a study by a academic in Britain who was hit by traffic twice as he rode his bike to carry out his research.

Researcher Ian Walker from the Department of Psychology of Britain's University of Bath found drivers were up to two times more likely to get close when passing cyclists wearing helmets than when overtaking bare-headed pedalers.

He said wearing a helmet might therefore make a collision more likely, but a safety-advocacy group cautioned against giving up a helmet's protection against head injury in hopes of avoiding a crash.

This past weekened more than 1,000 cyclists participated in the Northern California Chapter of the National MS Society's 22nd Annual MS 150 Waves to Wine Bike Tour sponsored by Dry Creek Vineyard and Pyramid Alehouse. The two-day, fully supported cycling event offers one of the most beautiful routes in the country and is the single largest multiple sclerosis fundraiser in Northern California. The tour took riders on a tour of the Napa and Sonoma County wine country and provided cyclists with breathtaking views of the Pacific Coast before the excursion culminates in Petaluma.